Pakistan has received more than 22,000 applications for 4,500 scholarships it announced for Afghan students last year, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan said on Friday. The scholarships were announced in July last year under the Allama Iqbal Scholarship program, amid ongoing tensions between the two countries that prompted Islamabad to launch a deportation drive targeting unregistered Afghans in late 2023. The program, which covers tuition fees, accommodation and a monthly stipend for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies at Pakistani universities, was introduced in 2009 to strengthen bilateral ties between the two neighboring states. In a statement issued from his office, Pakistan’s special representative Sadiq Khan said this is the third phase of the program that will offer fully funded scholarships in medical, engineering, agriculture and other fields over the next three years. “This month, over 22,000 applicants will take an online test, followed by interviews for final selection. The entire process will conclude within 45 days,” he said. “Notably, 33 percent of the scholarship seats are reserved for female students.” Pakistan last year announced the scholarships on the same day its federal cabinet approved the extension of registration cards for 1.5 million Afghan refugees for another year. Ties between the two countries have been strained because of a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western regions that border Afghanistan. The attacks particularly surged after the breakdown of a fragile truce between the Pakistani government and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Nov. 2022. Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.